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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · temple · bark · cell · pass · field · kick · charge

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. charge — a price
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — in control
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — in football
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com